Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Slams ‘Lazy’ AI Job Loss Narrative, Says It ‘Makes No Sense’

As Artificial Intelligence continues to disrupt the tech world and bring about a change in the jobs landscape, one of the most prominent voices in the sector, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has questioned linking AI to job cuts.

Speaking to Channel News Asia, Huang said that the narrative used by some chief executives to link artificial intelligence (AI) with job cuts is "lazy" and "doesn't make any sense".

Huang said he remains optimistic about the future of AI and believes the technology will ultimately create more opportunities rather than reduce jobs.

"The narrative that connects AI to job loss, for many of the CEOs that are doing it - it is just too lazy. AI has just arrived, how is it possible they're already losing jobs?" he told CNA.

"How is it possible that AI became productive and useful only six months ago, and they were somehow laying people off two years ago because of AI? It doesn't make any sense," he added.

Why Did Jensen Huang Call AI Job Loss Narrative ‘Irresponsible’?

"It was just a way for them to sound smart and I really hate that. I think we're scaring people and that's irresponsible,” Huang further said. He did not refer to any specific company while making the remarks.

Concerns over AI-related job losses have increased in recent months as several companies announced workforce reductions while expanding investments in artificial intelligence technologies.

According to CNA, last week, Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters faced criticism after saying the bank was replacing "lower-value human capital" with technology while announcing plans to cut more than 7,000 jobs over the next four years. Winters later apologised for the comments.

CNA stated that, earlier this month, Reuters reported that Meta plans to reduce over 20 per cent of its workforce to offset rising AI investments and improve productivity.

Addressing concerns over AI replacing human jobs, Huang said workers should focus on learning AI tools instead of fearing them.

Comparing AI with earlier technological changes, Huang said people who failed to adapt to computers during the personal computer revolution were left behind, not because PCs took jobs away directly.

"When the PC came along, the PC didn't take people's jobs. The people who didn't learn how to use PCs were left behind," he said.

Huang also said it is "very likely" there will be more jobs in the next five years as companies become more productive and profitable through AI adoption.

(With inputs from ANI)